Specialty IPA: Black IPA Heavenly Scourge Black IIPA

[Duffman870727]

Interesting how everyone's tastes are different. I actually added more carafa III to my batch and would still add a couple more ounces next time for more roasty flavour. It is a really nice interplay of roastiness and hops.

For DIPA I've had a lot of fun doing different single hop versions of this recipe: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=103410&highlight=double+simcoe

 

[jzimpleman]

Bottled my first batch today. Ended up with a FG of 1.016, but with my lower OG, it ended at a 7.5% ABV. The gravity sample tasted unbelievable!!

The hops hit me in the face but as I tasted it further, there is a crazy depth behind it. As this ages, I can only imagine how it will develop!

 

[Citizen86]

I'm thinking about dry hopping the 4 ounces in the keg, anyone else done that with this one?

 

[brrman]

Bottled my first batch today. Ended up with a FG of 1.016, but with my lower OG, it ended at a 7.5% ABV. The gravity sample tasted unbelievable!!

The hops hit me in the face but as I tasted it further, there is a crazy depth behind it. As this ages, I can only imagine how it will develop!

This beer actually ages quite well. The front hops die off after a couple months but there is a complexity in the mild roast that keeps the beer interesting.

I'm thinking about dry hopping the 4 ounces in the keg, anyone else done that with this one?

Funny you mention this because I have a batch fermenting now that I plan to dry hop in the keg. I imagine it would be pretty incredible.

 

[NickTheGreat]

I dry hopped mine in the keg. I brewed this a long time ago and still have 1.5 gallons or so in a small keg. I had some dip tube clogging issues from trub that I just couldn't shake. I ended up racking to another keg, and that solved it, thankfully.

It still tastes pretty good, really. For all the screwing around with it, and how old it is now!

 

[Citizen86]

I dry hopped mine in the keg. I brewed this a long time ago and still have 1.5 gallons or so in a small keg. I had some dip tube clogging issues from trub that I just couldn't shake. I ended up racking to another keg, and that solved it, thankfully.

It still tastes pretty good, really. For all the screwing around with it, and how old it is now!

Haha, that's good to hear.

I have a dry hop bag I got from Wilser with the BIAB stuff, so I'll probably use that. I've been reading about how a lot of people use dental floss and tie the hop bag to the keg handle. Still undecided about that, as others just drop the bag in and rack on top of it. That definitely sounds easier

 

[NickTheGreat]

Haha, that's good to hear.

I have a dry hop bag I got from Wilser with the BIAB stuff, so I'll probably use that. I've been reading about how a lot of people use dental floss and tie the hop bag to the keg handle. Still undecided about that, as others just drop the bag in and rack on top of it. That definitely sounds easier

I've had CO2 leaks using fishing line, even the thinnest stuff was too think. Never tried floss; i just tossed the bag in like you said. I'm never going to try to take the hop bag out anyways.

 

[Citizen86]

Just took a reading after 11 days in the fermenter. Reading is 1.010 (from 1.070 OG) and it tastes nice and bitter with that awesome black IPA flavor. Used a yeast cake from a 1 gallon batch so not surprised it fermented down well. Used Wyeast American ale.

I know I should probably be a good brewer and let it sit for another week or two in the fermenter. It tastes good now though, I'm tempted to cold crash it for the weekend then keg it and dry hop it.

It's only my 6th brew, I still feel the itch to drink it ASAP

 

[Citizen86]

So I decided to cold crash and keg it anyways. Glad I did. Kegged and burst carbed last night, put the 4oz of hops in and it was good. Having a pint tonight and it's fantastic. Since my OG was low at 1.070 but it fermented down to 1.010 I don't feel like I'm missing out on too much, in fact it's nice and dry like an IPA should be.

24 hours with the hops in the keg has made it amazing. Looking forward to seeing how the hops continue to evolve. And with the bitter that was supposed to be for a 1.020 FG beer it's quite bitter, but I'm really enjoying it

 

[NinjaMedic]

I've never dry/keg hopped before and after reading some of the reviews it seems that keg hopping is the way to go with this beer. I have a couple questions though. Do you use leaf hops? Once you have them in the bag in the keg do you just leave them there until the keg is done or do you pull them out after 5-6 days? Thanks!

 

[Citizen86]

I used pellets for all the hops in this recipe. I put the hops into a voile bag from wilser.

This is also my first time adding hops to the keg, so I'll see how it progresses. I've read some people taste a grassy flavor after a couple weeks. Others leave them in for a month until the keg is empty and don't taste any off flavors. So I think it's again one of those "do what works for you". I figured I would just leave mine in, and if I start to taste anything off I could try to pull them out

 

[Citizen86]

Took this one over to the home brew shop for the owner who also runs a nanobrewery in his home brew shop to try out. His comments were pretty positive - very hop forward, what with the 4oz of dry hop in the keg. Good flavor, good color. His comment was he might add some dextrin or something to give it some more malt flavor and backbone, as with the dry hop the flavor is about 90% hops He also said that he generally expects a little more roast flavor in a Black IPA, not a lot, but enough to taste it. I'm pretty sure there was a little roast flavor before the dry hop

He took a second helping from the half-growler, so I assume he actually did enjoy it :rockin:

The interesting thing is the original recipe said an OG of 1.080, but Beersmith gave me a 1.090 OG, and my actual OG was 1.070 (will be working on the efficiency), and since FG was 1.010 for me, the body is probably a little thin in comparison to the original.

Next time I think I might just put the Carafa in for the full mash and see how that affects the flavor.

Anyway, I've been enjoying this one a lot, I'll be brewing it again for sure.

 

[brrman]

awesome stuff. Glad you like the recipe. It's def one of my fav recipes I have made.
I typically do the carafa for the whole mash now.

 

[sacrifice]

Brewed this about recipe about 5 years ago and really enjoyed it. It has taken me some time to get back to this recipe, but I will be using my Grainfather (this will be my 8th Grainfather brew since buying it in January 2016) to do this recipe on Easter Sunday.

The only thing I am changing will be subbing Maris Otter for the Pale Malt. I have 4 bags of Maris I need to get through, so Maris it is. The 1056 is on the stir plate, and the beer is in the fridge, so I am ready for all the fun on Sunday!

Happy Easter everyone!

 

[brrman]

sweet - MO will probably make it even better! Happy Easter!

 

[jojacques]

I got 2 packs of US-05 for this. I'll rehydrate, but no starter.

You think it will be fine?

 

[Citizen86]

I got 2 packs of US-05 for this. I'll rehydrate, but no starter.

You think it will be fine?

2 packets is more than enough.... depending on which Yeast Pitch calculator you use

 

[jojacques]

SO I brewed this yesterday.... not sure why but I only got an OG of 1.066.... damn! (Beersmith tells me 1.079).... that is off!

I honestly have no idea what happened, this is the first time I miss my OG

 

[brrman]

That sucks, man. Sorry to hear that. There are a few reasons you could have been off on OG. Beersmith is usually right on target for me.


Taken from Beersmith.Com

Missing Your Original Gravity

Once you have your OG estimate and brew the beer, you often miss. Occasionally the OG comes in high, but more often your original gravity will be lower than you predicted. So what do you do next?

I’ll cover how to adjust your OG using dry malt extract or water below, but as you plan your next batch here are some of the potential issues to look at:

Grain Milling – For all grain brewers, poorly crushed grains can have a large effect on original gravity. Your grains should be crushed finely – with the center of the grain forming a fine powder. Large pieces of the husk should be left intact, however, to form a bed for filtering during the lauter. A dual roller mill like the Barley Crusher (full disclosure – we sell these) works best for crushing your grains.
Sparging – If you sparge too quickly, have a poorly designed mash tun filter, or sparge the wrong volume you can get a low OG. Take your time when sparging, which will let the wort extract as much as possible from the grain bed. Also design of the mash system can have an impact. A cylindrical (Gott or Igloo style water cooler) with a full size false bottom (screen type) will generally yield higher efficiency than a flat picnic cooler with only a few copper tubes acting as the filter system for example.
Measure your Volumes – If you have not accurately measured your volumes at each stage in the brewing process and accounted for losses along the way, it can have a huge effect on your OG. For example, a 10% increase in final volume can result in a 10% decrease in OG. So to hit your target OG, you also need to hit your volumes at each step – into the boiler, post boil and also into the fermenter. If you find your volumes don’t match your equipment profile – then adjust your equipment profile until you have a good match with your brewing style.

 

[jojacques]

In fact I was trying:
1-New Mash Tun (11G Mash King with a homemade CPVC filter)
2-New Boil Kettle (16G with ball valve and dip tube)
3-Grains provided by a seller that Ive never tried.

But it could be my method. Thanks for taking the time to reply!

 

[brrman]

Yeah, trying new equipment can really lead to some craziness. lol. The first time I ran a brew through my new eHERMS system temps were everywhere and the beer was definitely subpar.

 

[CrewDog]

oh I see - the whole black IPA concept doesn't make sense anyway. but ya gotta go with the flow I suppose.

Cascadian Dark Ale still makes more sense

 

[brrman]

Cascadian Dark Ale still makes more sense

I don't like the name "Black ipa", really. But the problem I have with "Cascadian Dark Ale", is that is implies something about geography, which really has nothing to do with the roots of the "Black IPA", except that the pacific northwest wants to unrealistically take credit for the style simply because "some" of the pioneers of this style originated there.

All I know is I love the style.

 

[beansnbrews]

Just put together my first batch last week. The primary smells great! I modified to Galaxy and Citra instead of Amarillo/centennial. Excited to dry hop then get into a bottle!

 

[Citizen86]

Just put together my first batch last week. The primary smells great! I modified to Galaxy and Citra instead of Amarillo/centennial. Excited to dry hop then get into a bottle!

Sounds delicious, let us know how it turns out

 

[jojacques]

This is the best Homebrew yet. Soooo good!

 

[brrman]

This is the best Homebrew yet. Soooo good!

Glad you like it, dude! I was in the Ottawa/Gatineau area last year. Beautiful place.

 

[rbyount]

My thanks to brrman! Brewed and bottled and just started drinking this. Excellent Black IPA! Was looking for a recipe as had tried some BIPA but wasn't sure what to do recipe wise. This fits the bill and I will brew again!

 

[Redtab78]

Cheers!! Slight adjustment, and I used Wyeast 2565 kolsch yeast

 

[jojacques]

Beautiful, did you use anything for head retention?